RAISE THE LOWERED - 2016 GMC SIERRA 1500

David Williams is no stranger to modified trucks, having spent years owning and building bagged full-size and mini trucks. But after years of slamming trucks to the ground, and coming across an insane deal on a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT, he wanted to try his skillset on something different and create a lifted custom.

“The plan was to build a show rig/daily driver that would also serve as a rolling business card for my shop, The Kustom Edge, here in Texas,” he says.

Having a vision already in mind, David knew that he wanted the the Sierra to wear a black and green color combination. To help him with the rest, he went to KEG Media for the complete rendering. Although he stuck pretty close to the original design, he admits to giving the painter more leeway when it came to the flames, a design accent he’s particularly fond of.

With a desire to showcase the best products out there on his first lifted truck build, David went with a 12” Bulletproof suspension and had all the parts powder coated in Illusion Sour Apple by Prismatic Powders. A set of 22x14 Dropstar DS652 wheels wrapped in 37x13.50R22 Nitto Trail Grappler tires finish off its stance. The Sierra’s exterior was enhanced by its Hammerhead Armor front and rear bumpers and nerf bars that really make it look tough, in addition to its custom-mixed green flames that match the suspension. Purple pinstriping is seen around the flames for the extra detail David likes to add in his builds. Avec LED Lighting provides the GMC with bright lights for night drives, while extra accessories include a SnugTop Snuglid SL tonneau cover, BedRug bed liner, and a Fastway 10” drop trailer hitch. With two months to complete, David found that the biggest challenge was finding time for the truck build while also completing another SEMA vehicle at the same time. “The truck wasn’t entirely finished until we got to Vegas, which was a bit nerve wracking!” he details.

“It’s been a huge success, winning multiple awards everywhere I show it; everything from Top 100 to first in class and even a Best Lifted Truck award,” David confesses. When it was first unveiled at the 2016 SEMA Show, the responses David received were all positive, which says a lot given it was his first real lifted truck project. “I’m very happy with the results; only thing I’d do different is a bigger rim/tire combo. It’s one of my top three favorite builds I’ve done and I’ve built a lot of vehicles.”